KAT500

KAT500

Although the latest information on the Elecraft Web Site remains a KAT500 shipping date of August 15 (2012?) there is yet no photo of the KAT500 on the site- similar to the way other products are advertised by Elecraft- and no KAT500 manual for us to preview--their usual pre-production practice. Elecraft has had nothing to say about the KAT500 since March, except to repeat in April their plans to launch the KAT500 this summer. I look forward to an update in the near future. Many thanks. KM4VX

RE: KAT500

Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different from a photo on Elecraft promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the technology would be vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron

Re: KAT500

Sad you feel this way. I have been enjoying my KX3 for about a month now.
Yes, I waited almost 6 months from the date of my pre-order. I did the same
for my K3. Neither was "vintage" when received. Hardly. In fact even with
the early-adopter pre-order wait, there was still nothing on the market that
compared with either product. I also pre-ordered a KAT500 when Elecraft
announced they were comfortable enough with the design to accept orders.
When it arrives, I will enjoy that also.
73,
Bruce N1RX

> Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different
from a photo on Elecraft
> promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the
technology would be
> vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron

RE: KAT500

I like the Elecraft products and also have several of their radios/meters/amp etc. However, I still find the marketing unsatisfactory and the hype over their products unjustified; the reflector serves to keep the prices inflated and promotes the products using the customers as unpaid salesmen.

Sad you feel this way. I have been enjoying my KX3 for about a month now.
Yes, I waited almost 6 months from the date of my pre-order. I did the same
for my K3. Neither was "vintage" when received. Hardly. In fact even with
the early-adopter pre-order wait, there was still nothing on the market that
compared with either product. I also pre-ordered a KAT500 when Elecraft
announced they were comfortable enough with the design to accept orders.
When it arrives, I will enjoy that also.
73,
Bruce N1RX

> Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different
from a photo on Elecraft
> promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the
technology would be
> vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron

Re: KAT500

I think we all should remember that in order to release a new product,
Elecraft will first ship out the Field Test Units where they use these to
thoroughly test out the design and functionality ok the equipment unlike
shall we say 'other' manufacturers and reduce the risk of shipping
equipment that falls short of customer expectations.

the second advantage of doing this is to refine the manual and reduce as
many of the errata changes as possible. Remember too that the manual writer
only wants to do the job of writing once and needs feedback from users to
allow the author to write the manual in such a way as to help users
understand the equipment and when it comes to assembly it helps with the
wording of that manual also.

Elecraft can only give you information that is accurate and we should not
expect them to release a daily sheet on where they are at with a particular
product.

The FT units will ship out 'soon' and testing will not be a long period
with something like a KAT500 when compared with say the K3 as there are
obviously less features/functions to deal with for a KAT500 vs a K3/KPA500.

The fact they have not 'moved' the hopeful release date is encouraging for
those of us that are waiting.

Kenwood have shown of there latest 'future' release and still no exact
release date and this also is to be expected as they await FCC approval etc
as well as final FW release.

> Sad you feel this way. I have been enjoying my KX3 for about a month now.
> Yes, I waited almost 6 months from the date of my pre-order. I did the same
> for my K3. Neither was "vintage" when received. Hardly. In fact even with
> the early-adopter pre-order wait, there was still nothing on the market
> that
> compared with either product. I also pre-ordered a KAT500 when Elecraft
> announced they were comfortable enough with the design to accept orders.
> When it arrives, I will enjoy that also.
> 73,
> Bruce N1RX
>
> > Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different
> from a photo on Elecraft
> > promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the
> technology would be
> > vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> Post: mailto:[hidden email]>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html>

I think we all should remember that in order to release a new product,
Elecraft will first ship out the Field Test Units where they use these to
thoroughly test out the design and functionality ok the equipment unlike
shall we say 'other' manufacturers and reduce the risk of shipping equipment
that falls short of customer expectations.

the second advantage of doing this is to refine the manual and reduce as
many of the errata changes as possible. Remember too that the manual writer
only wants to do the job of writing once and needs feedback from users to
allow the author to write the manual in such a way as to help users
understand the equipment and when it comes to assembly it helps with the
wording of that manual also.

Elecraft can only give you information that is accurate and we should not
expect them to release a daily sheet on where they are at with a particular
product.

The FT units will ship out 'soon' and testing will not be a long period with
something like a KAT500 when compared with say the K3 as there are obviously
less features/functions to deal with for a KAT500 vs a K3/KPA500.

The fact they have not 'moved' the hopeful release date is encouraging for
those of us that are waiting.

Kenwood have shown of there latest 'future' release and still no exact
release date and this also is to be expected as they await FCC approval etc
as well as final FW release.

Sad you feel this way. I have been enjoying my KX3 for about a month now.
Yes, I waited almost 6 months from the date of my pre-order. I did the same
for my K3. Neither was "vintage" when received. Hardly. In fact even with
the early-adopter pre-order wait, there was still nothing on the market that
compared with either product. I also pre-ordered a KAT500 when Elecraft
announced they were comfortable enough with the design to accept orders.
When it arrives, I will enjoy that also.
73,
Bruce N1RX

> Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different
from a photo on Elecraft
> promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the
technology would be
> vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron

Re: KAT500

The advertising by Elecraft is refreshing for most. Inclusion of customers
in the discussion of interoperability of their products allows the customer
views to be talked about at Elecraft.

Your view expressed here may indeed result in further discussion at
management level. You may not be privy to those discussions of course, but
may result in some refinement of the way they do business. How can this NOT
be a positive?

You seem to think the products are overpriced, but consider this, if cost
of production over set period of time for XXX amount of units VS say XXXXXX
number of units will effect the cost of components and overhead with
engineering etc...all these variables play a part in accurate costing of
production. Smaller manufacturers such as Elecraft strive to be competitive
but need to return a profit to stay viable and the current financial
situation around the globe does not help I imagine.

If Elecraft produce a quality product and needs to sell them at a 'premium'
some 10-20 percent higher than we as customers expect to pay then it is the
customer who must decide if it is value for money or not. This also applies
to any manufacturer and in in the world of amateur radio products I am
happy to buy those Elecraft products that suit my requirements. I don't
need the 'bling', I only need equipment that DOES meet the operational
requirements for me, NOT what a manufacturer states I need and believe me
there IS a difference. I was once a Dealer (NEW not Pick-Up reseller) and
this was for several manufacturers and I choose Elecraft products based on
equipment performance rather than price.

The above opinions are mine and not those of elecraft as I am just a
customer, nothing more.

>
> I like the Elecraft products and also have several of their
> radios/meters/amp etc. However, I still find the marketing unsatisfactory
> and the hype over their products unjustified; the reflector serves to keep
> the prices inflated and promotes the products using the customers as unpaid
> salesmen.
> Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2012 13:11:18 -0700
> From: [hidden email]> To: [hidden email]> Subject: Re: KAT500
>
>
>
> Sad you feel this way. I have been enjoying my KX3 for about a
> month now.
>
> Yes, I waited almost 6 months from the date of my pre-order. I did the same
>
> for my K3. Neither was "vintage" when received. Hardly. In fact even with
>
> the early-adopter pre-order wait, there was still nothing on the market
> that
>
> compared with either product. I also pre-ordered a KAT500 when Elecraft
>
> announced they were comfortable enough with the design to accept orders.
>
> When it arrives, I will enjoy that also.
>
> 73,
>
> Bruce N1RX
>
>
>
> > Bruce: I know and there is stuff on YouTube, but that is quite different
>
> from a photo on Elecraft
>
> > promoting the product. I cancelled KX3 because by the time I got it the
>
> technology would be
>
> > vintage; I have high hopes the KAT500 will surface this year. Ron
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
>
> Elecraft mailing list
>
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> If you reply to this email, your message will be added to
> the discussion below:
>
> http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-tp7559586p7559595.html>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from KAT500, click here.
>
> NAML
>
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-tp7559586p7559601.html> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> Post: mailto:[hidden email]>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html>

Re: KAT500

I did not expect my additional comments on My KAT500 posting to appear on the Reflector; thought they would be private responses to private e-mails. Live and learn. I do disagree with marketing that raises demands without an ability to meet the demand for months or years. I think instant gratification is what drives Hamfests and much of hobby-buying; new "toys" are constantly coming on the market, and I think many of us expect to buy now what is advertised now. I understand others are willing to wait and track and graph KX3 shipments etc. This also raises expectations and increases demand; nothing to do with quality or technology. It drives sales. Owning and enjoying K/1, K2, K3, P/3, W2, and the KPA500 I admit to being an Elecraft fan and await the KAT500. Nevertheless, I do object to marketing what is not readily available and not providing regular updates on the status of those products delayed for whatever reason. I know the folks at Elecraft are busy; no one is THAT busy. 73 Ron KM4VX

Re: KAT500

On 7/22/2012 6:24 AM, KM4VX wrote:
> I do disagree with marketing that raises demands without an
> ability to meet the demand for months or years.

Elecraft has a long standing practice of announcing products well in
advance of production, and making it clear that they are doing so.
Elecraft is a small company, with limited resources, and they operate in
the same real economy as the rest of us. In that real world, parts
often take a lot longer to obtain than when projected, parts vendors
don't always ship what they promise, things don't fit on the circuit
board, so it has to be re-designed, a new operational capability is
requested which requires re-design, design engineers may have personal
issues, or may get diverted to solving a problem with an existing
product, and so on.

I greatly appreciate Elecraft's product announcements, and I accept them
for what the are. They allow me to plan for building out my station --
in my case, I've been improving my antenna farm, working out switching
for it, and working on replacing the manual Ten Tec antenna tuners for
my wire antennas. The KAT500s will do that, and help with the
switching. While I'm waiting for the tuners (I ordered at Dayton) I'm
continuing to work on the rest of it, and when they arrive I'll be ready
for them.

Not long after I finished college I was working in an engineering lab
and needed repairs on my VW beetle. I had been introduced to a great
mechanic who had his own small shop, and took it in for repair. There
was a lot of work, and it wasn't going to be cheap. Later that day I
called him to tell him to stop working on it because I'd lost my job.
I'll never forget his response -- "Don't worry about it, when you have
the money, I'll still need it." He did the work, and I picked up the
car a few days later.

Re: KAT500

Now that we have hopefully exhausted considerable helpful commentary and an equal amount of irrelevant and often gratuitous advice in this thread, I hope we can remember that my original post simply asked for an update on the status of the beloved if unseen KAT500. Good to know we all love our Elecraft products; no need to defend what is not under attack. Elecraft fans must have an excessive amount of time on their hands!! Ron KM4VX

Re: KAT500

The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.

But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.

I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.

Re: KAT500

My fault -- I see that the shipping status page does include the KX3.

On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:37 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:

> The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.
>
> But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.
>
> I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.
>
> 73, phil, K7PEH

Re: KAT500

> My fault -- I see that the shipping status page does include the KX3.
>
>
> On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:37 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>
>> The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.
>>
>> But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.
>>
>> I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.
>>
>> 73, phil, K7PEH

Re: KAT500

Yes, I know that. But, ease of use comes from association. Where do you find the "status"? Answer: on the "status" page. Sure, also having it on the order page is good too.

On Jul 23, 2012, at 8:43 AM, Rick Prather wrote:

> And the order page shows a target shipping date for the KAT500 of August 15.
>
> Rick
> K6LE
>
> On 7/23/2012, at 7:38 , Phil Hystad <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> My fault -- I see that the shipping status page does include the KX3.
>>
>>
>> On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:37 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>>
>>> The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.
>>>
>>> But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.
>>>
>>> I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.
>>>
>>> 73, phil, K7PEH

Re: KAT500

> Yes, I know that. But, ease of use comes from association. Where do you find the "status"? Answer: on the "status" page. Sure, also having it on the order page is good too.
>
>
> On Jul 23, 2012, at 8:43 AM, Rick Prather wrote:
>
>> And the order page shows a target shipping date for the KAT500 of August 15.
>>
>> Rick
>> K6LE
>>
>> On 7/23/2012, at 7:38 , Phil Hystad <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>>> My fault -- I see that the shipping status page does include the KX3.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:37 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>>>
>>>> The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.
>>>>
>>>> But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.
>>>>
>>>> I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.
>>>>
>>>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>

Re: KAT500

The fact that the item has not started shipping is indeed good "shipping status" information. You must include all the possible transition states for the status otherwise the information is incomplete.

On Jul 23, 2012, at 12:55 PM, Rick Prather wrote:

> I guess they figure that there is no "Shipping Status" if the item hasn't started shipping yet.
>
>
> On 7/23/2012, at 12:45 , Phil Hystad <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Yes, I know that. But, ease of use comes from association. Where do you find the "status"? Answer: on the "status" page. Sure, also having it on the order page is good too.
>>
>>
>> On Jul 23, 2012, at 8:43 AM, Rick Prather wrote:
>>
>>> And the order page shows a target shipping date for the KAT500 of August 15.
>>>
>>> Rick
>>> K6LE
>>>
>>> On 7/23/2012, at 7:38 , Phil Hystad <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> My fault -- I see that the shipping status page does include the KX3.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Jul 23, 2012, at 7:37 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The Elecraft web site has a shipping status page that contains all kinds of useful information about the shipping status of each product and even components of products.
>>>>>
>>>>> But, it is missing information about the new items like KX3 and KAT500. Maybe Eric can get the time to add these to that shipping status table. Useful information would be like for the KAT500, planned shipping date of August 15, 2012. For the KX3 it might be useful to know the estimated backlog. Backlog can be reported in days or weeks to erase the backlog given current estimated new orders versus the time to process each order. Indeed, maybe some queueing theory work can be done.
>>>>>
>>>>> I think such information regularly updated (I see the current shipping status page was updated July 19th) would be very good at informing people about the status of these newer products.
>>>>>
>>>>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm> Post: mailto:[hidden email]>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html